Hit and run mayhem during Art Walk

Update 10 p.m.: Det. Mark Jamieson has just posted the full account on the SPD Blotter.

Update 9:15 p.m.: The scene at 73rd and Greenwood was just one of several crime scenes that Seattle Police say is related to one suspect.

“We have quite a convoluted scene, a very spread out scene, Det. Mark Jamieson tells me.

Det. Jamieson says this is all began about 6:30 tonight when an officer recovered a stolen car near Green Lake. The registered owner was contacted and said he was on his way to pick it up. The officer completed his paperwork and drove away, but just minutes later he saw that same car drive by. The officer knew that the registered owner couldn’t have reached the scene that fast, so he tried to pull the car over. The suspect took off at a high rate of speed.

“So we now have a stolen car that has been re-stolen,” Det. Jamieson says.

The officer chased the stolen car up to Greenwood Avenue, where several other police cars were congregating to stop the suspect. The suspect intentionally rammed a patrol car, then drove up onto the sidewalk, nearly striking a pedestrian, who had to jump out of the way. Det. Jamieson said that pedestrian suffered a minor injury from scrambling out of the way, and was taken to the hospital to be checked out. hitting a pedestrian, who suffered a minor leg injury (this information has been updated by SPD.)

The chase continued northbound on Greenwood Avenue and side streets, until the suspect collided with another car at 87th and Greenwood, and then also hit another patrol car. The suspect drove around Walgreens, down the alley, and tried to run over officers who were trying to stop him. Another pedestrian in that area was slightly hurt jumping out of the way.

This car was hit by the suspect at North 87th Street and Greenwood Avenue North. Photo by James McFarlane.

At that point, SPD terminated the pursuit, but was able to keep visual contact with the suspect vehicle because so many patrol cars were in the area.

This police car was hit near the Walgreens at 87th and Greenwood. Photo by James McFarlane.

The suspect was finally caught at 8th Avenue NE and NE 67th Street. The suspect is a man in his 20s. Det. Jamieson said he was taken to Harborview Medical Center because he appeared to be under the influence of something. After being evaluated at the hospital, he will be booked into King County Jail for a variety of charges.

Earlier: A two-car accident Friday evening at Greenwood Avenue North and North 73rd Street turned into a police chase “right out of Hollywood,” according to one witness.

When an officer saw the accident and turned on his lights, one of the vehicles, a white sedan, pulled a quick u-turn, hit a pedestrian in the crosswalk and sped north on Greenwood Avenue, bystander Matt Gaultier said.

Another witness, Evan Rush, said “the officer gunned it going backwards and spun around. It was just like out of Hollywood.”

An officer at 73rd said the suspect was captured in Greenwood and may have collided with a police vehicle.

We saw one person being taken to the hospital.

After all that, a police car leaving the scene accidentally backed into a car that was waiting at the light, going northbound on Greenwood Avenue North.

As of 8 p.m., part of the scene was taped off and officers were directing traffic through the intersection.